AFI Regular Season Finale Round Up
Well kids, we did it. The AFI regular season came to a rather quiet conclusion over the weekend despite several teams still needing wins in order to keep their playoff hopes alive. Only three out of the four scheduled fixtures went ahead in the end, but rather than spoiling all the fun here I highly encourage you to keep reading and find out for yourself how it all went down…
Northwest Vipers – Cill Dara Crusaders – Cancelled/Walkover
This is a bit of a strange one. The Vipers published a statement on their social media Saturday announcing that due to access issues, they couldn’t accommodate their final fixture against the Crusaders. A 30 point walkover was awarded to Kildare as a result, seemingly sealing their spot in the playoffs. However the Eagles are contesting the alleged deduction of a point for their missed clash with the Mavericks earlier in the season, and could also sneak into the final spot depending on how this situation unfolds. It does highlight however how American Football is still very much a minority sport in Ireland, often impacted by whims and logistical issues. Hopefully as the game continues to grow this will become less common because you never like to see games cancelled for silly reasons!
Causeway Giants 06 – Wexford Eagles 30
A strong finish to the season sees the Wexford outfit sitting at 4-4 and potentially in with a shot at the playoffs, depending on how the aforementioned situation above shakes out. I could have sworn with the win over Cill Dara earlier in the year they were safe, but apparently it’s not that straightforward! They left no room for error on Sunday, slaying the sleeping Giants in Limepark and controlling their own postseason destiny as much as possible. Doran Taylor, Terry Carey and Trevor Smith took care of business on offense, combining for 4 total rushing touchdowns while the defense went Giant hunting and recorded 5.5 sacks, including 2 for Henry Foxton.
It would be a shame if these plucky birds missed the postseason on a technicality, but unfortunately that’s the nature of the game. Ross McCooey has done an excellent job in his first year with the resources on hand, and you can count on the Eagles to be a contender in this division for years to come!
Dublin Rebels 47 – UL Vikings 12
The Rebels playoff hopes came right down to the wire on Sunday, as they needed a big win at home over the Vikings in order to advance. A win was exactly what they delivered, as their offense simply overpowered a brave but depleted UL squad. Sam Doran was on point all game long, dotting passes around the field as he connected with Jack Cronin three times in the first half for a 20 point lead. The visitors had a chance to score at the end of the second quarter, but Kieran Gilhool’s pass attempt was picked off by Dylan Paisley.
The South Dublin side picked up where they left off in the third period of play as Doran found Cronin again for a score before Niall Nolan capitalised on a Viking fumble with a rushing score to more or less put this one out of reach with over a full quarter yet to play. Gilhool caught the Rebels defense napping a few drives later, and hit Paddy Ryan for a big touchdown catch and run to avoid the shut out and make the final scoreline somewhat more respectable. Limericks would score again in the fourth quarter on a blocked punt at the Rebels goalline: Chris O’Mahony doing the honours while Conor Kelly recovered the ball for six points. The Rebels offense bounced back immediately however as Sam Doran took it in himself for a score before connecting with converted tackle Tadgh Fitzsimons at the death to put this one on ice. Playoff spot number four now belongs to the Rebels but they now face the unenviable task of travelling to Deramore Park in Belfast for a semi final bout with the Trojans. They’ll be far from satisfied with simply qualifying, but after the way the season started way back in March this is definitely a better outcome than they were possibly anticipating. And they have every chance of making life very difficult for the Trojans in a few weeks time.
Craigavon Cowboys 00 – UCD 52
The reigning champs really didn’t need to play their starters in Portadown on Sunday with playoff football already secured, but you can understand their desire to stay sharp with a visit from the Admirals on the horizon. Arun Mooney connected with Stu Wylie and Alex Kusmirek through the air, while Tom McEniff found the endzone four times on the ground to go along with another rushing touchdown from Kusmirek. Their defense was in fine form as well with picks from Eddie Goggins Jr, Michael Harvey and Thomas Fizgerald to go along with a strip sack by Hugh O’Connor and a Thomas Fitz forced fumble.
Craigavon failed to do much of anything despite moving the ball well, which is not altogether surprising when you consider the calibre of their opponents and could probably benefit from a brief respite in Division One where they can rebuild. It’s the Panthers though that are going down instead, meaning the Orangemen will need to find some answers over the summer if they want to be more competitive next season. As for UCD, they may have defeated Cork earlier in the year but it’s a much improved side that will be making the trip to Belfield in a few weeks and they’ll need to bring their A game if they intend on defending their title in Athlone.